THE proposed NAT, to replace JEE Advanced, will have English as a subject!!!

SOURCE: DECCAN CHRONICLE

A high level meeting of directors of all Indian Institutes of Technology will be held in the city in the third week of this month to decide the fate of the JEE for admissions to IITs and NITs. The Centre plans to replace the JEE with the National Aptitude Test, which will be conducted along the lines of the SAT in the US.
The new exam will include English as a subject. If approved, it will be in place for the 2017-18 academic year. This has the potential of removing a large number of students who hail from non-English medium streams of education.
IITs are said to be proposing the same two-stage exam for IIT admissions but want to replace first stage “the JEE (Mains)” with the NAT. The JEE (Advanced) will continue as second stage.
In stage-I exam, the IITs directors are proposing to include English as an additional subject since students coming from non-English medium backgrounds were facing difficulties at the IITs where the medium of instruction is English.
The Centre wants to test the English proficiency of students at the screening level. The IITs had held two rounds of discussion earlier.

Helping Hand View: We totally oppose the inclusion of English in such testing system as this will virtually hit the Hindi medium students dream of JEE.

Admission to IITs, NITs: HRD Ministry gets positive feedback for JEE makeover

SOURCE : INDIAN EXPRESS

In what could lead to major changes in the admission process for IITs and NITs, the HRD Ministry has received positive public feedback on recommendations of a government-appointed panel, including introduction of a compulsory SAT-like aptitude test for aspirants, no weightage to school board marks and a single entrance exam.

The ministry had made the report of the Ashok Mishra Committee public last month for further consultation with stakeholders. The deadline for sending feedback was November 30.

According to sources, of the 100-odd responses received by the government, 67 have supported the removal of weightage given to Class XII marks at the time of admissions and nine have opposed the suggestion. Similarly, 23 are for introduction of a national-level aptitude test for engineering aspirants and two against it. Twenty-six respondents have favoured a single entrance examination — instead of the current two-tier test — for admissions to IITs, NITs and other centrally funded institutes.

Although the ministry has not taken a final decision, the feedback could push the government to announce another makeover for the admission process at the top engineering schools. However, no changes will be introduced for 2016-17.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) underwent a series of changes in 2013 after the then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal convinced engineering schools to give weightage to a candidate’s school performance. This was done to help students focus on their school education and wean them away from coaching classes. But a review by the institutions three years later showed the decision had made little difference to the coaching industry, in fact it increased its influence.

Both IITs and NITs are now in favour of scrapping the weightage to Class XII marks. The Ashok Mishra committee was set up to study this proposal and also the feasibility of conducting a single entrance test.

The panel also suggested that the candidates should take an aptitude test to prove their inclination for science and innovative thinking. Passing this test will be a prerequisite for appearing for JEE. The test, designed to reduce the coaching culture, could be offered two or more times in a year.

PANEL SUGGESTS SINGLE IIT-NIT ENTRANCE EXAM WITH AN APTITUDE TEST

SOURCE: INDIAN EXPRESS

Three years after the UPA-2 government made sweeping changes to the admission process at top engineering institutes of the country, an expert panel appointed by its successor government has recommended another set of changes, including a single entrance examination for both IITs and NITs, no weightage to school board marks, and a compulsory aptitude test. The committee, headed by academic Ashok Mishra, has suggested that JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced) should be merged into a single entrance exam, conducted by the IITs and intended to test a candidate’s knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Currently, JEE (Main), meant for admission to the NITs, is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and JEE (Advanced) by the IITs.
The recommendations were made public on Saturday for further consultation with stakeholders. The HRD Ministry has not announced a timeframe to decide on the matter, but has clarified that JEE 2016 will be conducted in the same way as now, and that the 40 per cent weightage for Class 12 marks for admission to NITs would continue. The only change would be that the top 2 lakh candidates, instead of 1.5 lakh, in JEE (Main) will qualify to sit for JEE (Advanced). The process of admissions to IITs and NITs was overhauled completely in 2013 after then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal persuaded engineering institutes to give weightage to a candidate’s school performance. This was done to help students focus on their school education, and to wean them away from coaching classes. A review by the institutions three years on has shown that this decision has made little difference to the tuition industry, whose hold on aspirants has, in fact, increased. The IITs and NITs are in favour of scrapping the weightage to board marks. The Ashok Mishra committee was set up to study this proposal, and examine the feasibility of a single entrance test for IITs and NITs. The aptitude test suggested by the committee is intended to test candidates’ inclination for science and innovative thinking. Passing the test will be a prerequisite for appearing for JEE, the report states. The aptitude test, designed to weaken the coaching culture, could be offered two or more times in a year, and a National Testing Service should be set up next year to conduct it, the panel has suggested. Based on their performance in the aptitude test, about 400,000 candidates shall be shortlisted to take the JEE, which will be on the lines of the current JEE (Advanced). Ranks will be issued to 40,000+ students who can seek admission based on a common counseling, it said. It also suggested that IITs be requested to develop mock JEE exams to help students prepare, and to wean them away from the coaching industry.